Dane slashed his shimmering blade through the rusted chains keeping the doors to the crumbling square closed. He kicked them open with a grunt, racing forward into the midst of a crowd. Dozens of terrified gazes spun to meet the intrusion. He jutted his arm out in instinct, fisting his hand into the blood-soaked fur of his snarling wolf to keep him from launching at the nearest throat.
Anger welled in Trevelyan's chest as he took in the grisly sight before him. Several drained corpses were arranged on sacrificial slabs; spilt blood streaming towards a glowing glyph in the centre of the ancient stone. His free hand burst into jade flame, a rift above the glyph pulling at his Anchor.
Dane turned his furious gaze to the orchestrators of the gruesome battle waging in the fortress. Warden-Commander Clarel stood beside Erimond on a platform above the dilapidated square, sneering down at the proceedings. Trevelyan's direwolf strained against his master's restraint as he caught the scent of the Tevinter weasel.
"Clarel!" The Herald shouted, taking a few angry strides forward. Grey Wardens backed away from the Inquisitor and his companions as they approached, many hands resting on hilts of silver griffon-encrusted swords. "If you do this ritual, you're doing exactly what Erimond wants!"
"Stopping the Blights, killing the darkspawn? What Warden wouldn't want that?" Livius derided.
"By using blood magic? This is no charitable effort, Magister!" Hawke snarled, distaste curling her lip.
"We make the sacrifices no-one else will. Our warriors die proudly, for a world that will never thank them!" Clarel interjected. Several Wardens in the crowd below nodded, hands tightening around blades.
"And then your Tevinter ally binds the mages to Corypheus." Stroud spat, walking into the midst of the Wardens.
"Corypheus? But he is-"
"These people will say anything to sway your confidence, Clarel." Livius interrupted, a wheedling tone to his voice. The Warden-Commander paused, raising a gloved to hand to rub at her weathered face. "We must complete the ritual." Erimond pressed.
A tense moment passed, and Trevelyan grew hopeful Clarel might have seen sense.
"Bring it through."
'So much for that..' Dane shook his head in disappointment, curling his marked hand into a fist as the Grey Warden mages poured forbidden magic into the green tear in the skies.
"Inquisitor.." Trevelyan turned as he felt Hawke's hand on his shoulder. The sweep of her raven hair did nothing to hide the fury simmering in her eyes. "We must stop this. I have seen more than my share of blood magic. It is never worth the cost."
"I trained half of you myself!" Stroud roared from his spot amidst the Wardens, whipping his silver blade from its sheath. "Do not make me kill you to stop this madness!"
Before anyone could reply, an unearthly howl bellowed out from the widening rift. Dane gasped as emerald fire snaked up from his mark and into the pulsing veins of his wrist, sapping away his strength. The magic of this rift was different, more intense. Cassandra leapt from her spot behind the Inquisitor, lending her shoulder as Trevelyan swayed.
Erimond grinned from his haughty place above, pleased to see the Inquisitor suffering. He turned to Clarel, a scornful smile dripping from his lips.
"See its power? Be ready with the ritual, Clarel. This demon is truly worthy of your strength."
"I have no quarrel with the Wardens! I have spared those I could!" Trevelyan yelled, forcing himself to stand straight. He bored his icy gaze straight into Clarel's. "I don't want to kill you, but you're being used. And you know it!"
Murmurings erupted between the Wardens. Some of them sent furtive glances to their leader over their shoulders, eying her for a kernel of truth.
"You cannot let fear sway your minds, Wardens!"
"It is not they who are afraid! You are! Afraid that you ordered all these brave men and women to their deaths, and for what? Nothing!" Hawke shouted, Stroud joining her as they marched forward.
"I honour your bravery, brothers and sisters. But this is not the way. You have been tricked." Stroud said sadly, staring at each anxious gaze in turn.
Clarel backed away from Erimond as she took in the argument. The Magister sighed in disgust; his plan deteriorating before his eyes.
"I knew I should have chosen a more reliable ally." Erimond jeered, shoving past the Warden-Commander to the edge of their perch. "My Master thought you might come here, Inquisitor. He sent me this to greet you!"
Livius gripped his gnarled staff with two hands, lifting it high over his head and slamming it down into the stone with a sharp crack. A bolt of red energy flew from the tip, beaming into the sky as a crimson lightning strike.
Trevelyan wrenched his gaze to the murky heavens, watching the shockwave of energy blast into the clouds. The sound of armour clinking and swords being unsheathed filled the courtyard, only to be drowned out as an all too familiar shriek pierced the air.
The stone walls trembled and cracked as the beating of a great wingspan approached. Dane felt his blood run cold, spinning on his heel to face his companions.
"Run!"
That was all it took for the fray to erupt. The Inquisitor's companions bolted from their exposed position, along with Hawke and Stroud. Corypheus's lyrium dragon made its appearance all too soon, landing on the spiked walls of the fortress with an ear-splitting screech. It took a shuddering breath, seeming to suck all the oxygen from the world, as it released a torrent of burning red flame into the fortress.
Dane darted past the convulsing rift, ignoring the screams of Wardens that had been too slow to avoid the dragon's attack. Cool energy washed over him as he delved into the Fade, using its strength to blur towards the spot where Erimond and Clarel had just been.
They were gone. His wolf howled once; short and concise. Trevelyan needed no further prompt. He sprinted in the trail of his shadowed companion, catching a glimpse of blue and silver armour around each corner as he ran.
Clarel ran out of fortress to dart through soon enough, although Dane realised she wasn't fleeing him, but chasing the Magister. He skidded to a halt on what had once been a bridge of some sort. Erimond laid whimpering and snivelling at the furthest edge. Time had clawed away at the structure, leaving Livius trapped between a sheer fall and a furious Warden.
Trevelyan paused to catch his breath as Clarel loomed over Erimond, sapphire magic swirling around her fists. He turned, spirit blade ready as he heard the clamour of footsteps race up behind him. Cassandra led the rest of his companions, her own sword drawn and bloodied with dark grime. He breathed a sigh of relief, keeping one eye on the Warden-Commander as he appraised the Seeker.
"Are you alright? Is everyone okay?"
Cassandra nodded, keeping her seething expression fixed ahead.
"I will never serve the Blight!"
Dane turned from his companions to see Clarel stalking away from Livius, her wild expression now fixed on the Inquisition. Stroud marched forward from Trevelyan's side, no doubt full of righteous fury to unleash on the Warden-Commander. He got no further than two steps before the lyrium dragon reappeared, diving out of the sky in a motion that seemed far too silent for such a terrifying beast.
It roared once; a brief warning before it snatched Clarel from the stone, its wicked teeth sinking through her abdomen. Dane watched in horror, hypnotised as the dragon shook its head, the ferocity of the action whipping the Warden-Commander's broken body about like a ragdoll.
Trevelyan and the others backed away as the dragon descended from the skies, landing in the entranceway with an earth-shattering collision. It prowled towards the group, scarlet eyes the size of shields, swirling with malice. It spat its half-eaten foe to the ground; a morsel nowhere near as delicious as the enemy it had faced once before.
Dane groped at the air beside him as he steadied himself. He had taken one step too many backward, and discovered there was no more stone to escape to.
"Inquisitor.." Solas warned, looking behind them to the fatal drop that lie below, and back to Trevelyan's face.
"I'll-"
He was cut off as a violet flash blinded them, and a pained roar rang out from the lyrium dragon's mouth. The ground shook beneath them as the dragon collapsed, and the sickening feeling of weightlessness enveloped him. Dane flung out his arms in instinct, reaching for Cassandra as he saw her fall with the rest of the platform. The Inquisitor took one deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut and outstretching the Anchor, his hand bursting into green light that drove away the dark.
The Inquisitor groaned, feeling all his old wounds from Haven sing out in pain. His breaths were ragged as he pushed himself from the.. 'Ground?' Dane blinked down at the shifting material beneath his hands. It seemed yellow, and moulded to his touch like clay; and yet it turned firm, grey and rocky as he scrambled to his feet.
Trevelyan cast his gaze around, realising just where he was with a nauseous lurch. Buildings of impossible size and structure hovered around him, wandering through the world like lost souls. The air was green, and felt heavy in his lungs as he inhaled shaky breaths.
'The Fade..'
"Yes."
Dane jumped at the voice, bringing a bruised hand to clutch at his injured ribs.
"Cole?" He queried, eying the blonde haired boy with a gaze too critical for his years.
"Yes," Cole replied, his ever-present hat flopping as he nodded. "But this isn't a dream, a dip, a cold nightmare in the thick furs that tangle around your neck."
Dane kept his hand steady on the hilt of his spirit blade as he listened. All the drilled teachings of the Fade and its inhabitants swam into his thoughts. 'Don't trust anything you see in the Fade.' He reminded himself. He took a sharp breath, ignoring all his own advice as he spied the limp bodies of his companions.
"Cassandra!" He dashed over to the Seeker's unmoving form, panic swelling in his chest when she did not stir. "Cassandra, wake up!"
She groaned as he slipped his hands under her back, hefting her into a sitting position.
"Got your priorities in order." Hawke called out, appearing from nearby with Stroud in tow. Their faces were pale, and Dane knew more from experience than anything that her humour was a mask.
"I'm fine." Cassandra groused, swatting away Dane's hands as she stood.
The Inquisitor forced himself not to pull her into his arms, turning instead to check on the rest of his companions. Cole had helped Solas regain his bearings, and he now turned in circles, marvelling at the Fade.
"We're here. Physically here.." Solas said, his eyes full of unabashed wonder.
"That's grand and all," Hawke replied, looking around with far more unease. "But how do we get out? This isn't exactly a place to set up camp."
"Very true." Dane agreed, swivelling to rest his worried gaze back on Cassandra. "Did any of the others come through? Bull, the Chargers?"
"I do not believe so," Cassandra grunted. Unease prickled in Trevelyan's gut as he saw eddies of fear in her eyes. "But I cannot be sure."
"Perhaps we should split up. Look around for-"
"No!" Both Hawke and Dane cut Stroud off in unison. The Warden faltered, taken aback by their vehemence.
"Bad idea. The Fade is.. well, endless. We split up; we'll likely never find each other again." Hawke said. "It's a miracle we're together at all."
"How did we even get here?" Cassandra asked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
"I opened a rift," Dane admitted, sweeping a tense hand through his hair. "We were falling - there was nothing else I could do."
"So we are.. truly in the Fade?" Cassandra breathed.
"I suggest we keep moving," Solas interrupted, having wrought his gaze away from the green skies. "It is not wise to linger in the realm of spirits."
"But where do we go? This place looks.." Stroud trailed off, gesturing to the shifting world.
"The same, but not." Hawke finished.
"Over there." Dane pointed across the murky landscape. What looked to be a graveyard shimmered in the distance. It would provide a landmark, unless the world changed around them, as the mages in the party knew all too well.
The Inquisitor led the group to the fenced area. Water, or something like it, lapped at their heels as they walked. Trevelyan's boots squelched as he paused before the entrance. It was indeed a graveyard; small and desolate. Tufts of yellow grass crept up the faded tombstones, decayed and stinking of rot. The wood of the gate pricked against his palms as he stepped through.
The others lingered outside the gnarled gates; none eager to follow him in. They watched as the Herald knelt before one of the ancient stones. A sticky breath caught in his lungs as he deciphered the writing.
'Dorian – Temptation.'
Each tombstone he moved to was inscribed in the same way. Sickness pooled in his gut as he uncovered each horrible description. 'Iron Bull – Madness. Cassandra – Helplessness. Sera – The Nothing. Vivienne – Irrelevance. Solas – Dying alone. Varric – Became His Parents. Cole – Despair. Blackwall – Himself.'
Dane backed away from the stone markers, snagging his tunic on the thorns of the fence as he fled the graveyard. He felt the gaze of his companions on him as he strode away, but he could not meet their eyes.
They wandered further away from that terrible place, though where they went, not even Solas was sure. Dane frowned as they approached a hovering table. He swore they had passed it a few times already. He stopped, a swath of red and white catching his eye. Cassandra gasped, having seen it at the same time.
"Divine Justinia.." She breathed, stepping past the Herald and staring at the wrinkled woman ahead. "Could it be?"
Dane reached out a hand to stop her, grasping her by the shoulder. The Seeker paused, but didn't turn to face him; her gaze fixed squarely on the regal robes of the Divine. 'Or something impersonating her.' Dane thought grimly.
"Inquisitor." The woman greeted. Her voice had the gentle lilt of an Orlesian.
"Divine Justinia?" Trevelyan asked, taking one careful step forward.
She smiled, but had no answer. Dane's features hardened. Avoidance was a demon's tool, more often than not.
"How do you know I am Inquisitor?" He questioned, his voice flat.
"You do not believe I live," Justinia mused, a sad smile tugging at her lips. "Yet here you stand yourselves."
"There's good reason for that. We're in the Fade." Hawke muttered, the tip of her staff glowing a deep red. The Divine nodded once, then turned to face the Inquisitor.
"You do not remember what happened at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, do you?"
Dane shook his head in response.
"I know this, because I have examined memories like yours. Memories that the demon has stolen."
"What demon?" He asked. Every word the Divine said had to be taken with a grain of salt, but he was curious nonetheless.
"The nightmare you forget upon waking. It is Corypheus's pet; feeding off the fear and darkness, growing fat upon the terror."
Justinia took a step closer, boring her silver gaze into Stroud's eyes.
"The false calling that terrified the Wardens into making such grave mistakes? Its work."
"I will gladly avenge the insult this Nightmare has dealt my brethren." The Warden bristled, hand lingering on the sheath of his silver sword.
"You will have your chance, brave Warden. This place of darkness is its lair."
"This demon; it is not the first Corypheus has at his disposal, and I doubt it will be the last," Dane stated, drawing the Divine's attention. "How does he control them? Command so many?"
"I know not how he commands his army, Inquisitor. His power may come from that of the Blight itself."
"A darkspawn that controls the Blight? I thought only Archdemons held such power."
"Perhaps you will discover that what you seek, Inquisitor. But I do know more of the Nightmare. It serves Corypheus willingly, for he has brought much terror to this world."
"And this is the demon that Erimond was trying to bring through?" Trevelyan asked.
"Yes."
"And it's nearby?"
"Yes."
"Well.. Shit." Hawke mumbled, meeting the Inquisitor's stiff glance.
"When you entered the Fade at Haven, the demon took a part of you," Justinia continued. "Before you do anything else, you must recover it." The Divine took a few graceful steps away. She gestured to several orbs made of bright light. They danced against the suffocating atmosphere around them. "These are your memories, Inquisitor."
Dane hesitated for a moment before moving away, taking a few sodden steps to the nearest ball of light. Humming sounded in his ears as he reached for it, and then a high pitched whine that brought him to his knees. The green of the Fade turned to black as he crumpled to the ground.
Solas had to restrain Cassandra as she moved to help their fallen leader. The elf kept his eyes fixed on the Divine, despite the Seeker struggling against his grasp.
"Cassandra," Solas warned, feeling the armour on her shoulders grate against his fingertips. "Waking him could very well make things worse."
"He's right." Hawke uttered, watching with bated breath as Trevelyan lay motionless. Cassandra stilled, but stood as tense as a coiled spring. Solas lifted his fingertips as the Herald finally stirred; unsteady and gasping as he got to his knees.
"Trevelyan!" She exclaimed, darting across the small space to take Dane by the shoulders. "Are you alright?"
He met her worried gaze, nodding slowly. He looked over to the Divine. Justinia gave him a sorrowful smile.
"This mark.." He started, glaring at the churning Anchor on his hand. "All of it.. An accident, a random ricochet in the middle of a fight?"
Cassandra backed away as Trevelyan seemed to shift in front of her. His shoulders squared, and his jaw set. He turned to Stroud, his eyes dark with anger.
"Inquisitor," The Divine soothed, gliding forward before the Herald could open his mouth. "You have recovered some of yourself, true, but not all. The Nightmare now knows you are here. You must make haste."
Dane hissed from behind clenched teeth, but conceded.
"You're right," He glanced around the green fog, noticing the other orbs of his memories had disappeared; floated off deeper into the Fade. "Will you help us?"
"Are you certain we can trust her?" Solas queried, watching the exchange with curious, but narrowed eyes.
"Yes."
"There it is.." Hawke said in a low voice.
Dane peered over the edge of the rocky tunnel, his eyes widening in horror. A gargantuan arachnid lay before them; swollen and bloated like the Divine had warned. Its spindle-like legs were countless, stretching over every inch of the granite platform. To top it off, they were covered in tenterhooks the size of a man's head; ready to skewer anything foolish enough to approach. A gaping maw and gossamer black eyes lay at the centre of the beast, with pincers the size of a horse that clicked and dribbled with venom the colour of pus.
"By the Maker.." Stroud whispered, his gaze mirroring the terror they all felt.
Trevelyan slipped away from the edge of the outcropping; heartbeat thundering in his ears. 'There's no way out..' He thought with a sting of panic, stumbling away from the rest of the group. 'We're going to die here.'
"No." Cole answered, standing in front of Dane, wringing his pale hands. The Inquisitor shook his head in denial, his hands fisting into his hair of their own accord.
"Cole," He muttered, drawing his hands down and over his face. "There is no way we can defeat that thing. Anchor or not."
Cole ignored him, reaching for the ragged fabric at Dane's wrist and tugging him back to the outcropping.
"Look." He pointed a skeletal finger ahead. Trevelyan sighed but followed with his gaze, searching for whatever he was to be shown.
"The rift.." Dane blurted, spying the grating emerald tear, hidden behind the mass of the Nightmare. In it he could see reflections of Adamant; even Wardens and the Inquisition's troops fighting inside.
"We can escape."
"All we need is something to distract it." Stroud voiced, shifting back from the edge and standing. Hawke followed; both Warden and Champion staring at the Inquisitor. Trevelyan nodded, watching as the rest of the group formed a semi-circle around him.
Dane turned as he felt warmth against his back. The blazing spectre of the Divine brushed past the group, having shed the physical form from earlier.
"If you would," She said gently, her voice melodic as she floated out in front of the group. "Please tell Leliana.. I am sorry. I failed you, too."
With those parting words, Trevelyan watched, mouth agape, as the spirit blossomed into a supernova of light. He squinted against the intensity of her form, hearing the guttural roar and the whoosh of displacement as the huge arachnid was swallowed up.
"Now!" Stroud shouted, cutting through the shock with his voice.
Dane followed the Warden; hurling himself over the rock's edge and sliding down the granite slope onto the platform. The others followed, only seconds behind as they raced across the stone towards the rift. The Inquisitor paused at the few steps remaining before the portal, making sure all his companions got through. The rift bellowed as Cassandra and Solas's forms passed through the Veil.
Hawke grinned wildly at him as she and Stroud sprinted the last few steps, and Dane responded in kind, despite the situation. The smile turned to ash in his mouth as the whole earth seemed to tip on its side, knocking over the trio.
The sickening sound of wet flesh slapping into stone sound echoed across the space. Dane looked up, struggling to get to his feet as the ground trembled. Hooked, vicious legs curled against the granite, scraping towards the three as they retreated.
An unholy chattering hummed in their ears as the Nightmare reappeared. It was no longer languid, sitting bloated in its nest. Now it was furious. Thick, viscous venom dripped from its grizzled mouth as it scuttled towards them; the ground cracking under its sheer weight. Hundreds of glistening black eyes stared at them – daring them to attack.
"We need to clear a path!" Stroud shouted. His voice was almost drowned out by the arachnid's incessant chattering. The Nightmare had trapped them; it's swollen body blocking the path to the rift.
"Go, I'll cover you!" Hawke replied, her ornate staff glowing in preparation. Stroud whirled to face her, prompting Dane to do the same.
"No. You were right, Hawke. The Grey Wardens caused this. A warden must-"
"A Warden must help them rebuild. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a Warden. It's your job!" She interrupted, a fierce glower on her features. "Corypheus is mine."